Simon Hart is a Telegraph Sport writer, who has covered six Olympic Games as well as the 2012 host city election in Singapore.

Two down: Jenny Meadows with two silver medals won at the Indoor Athletics Championships (Photo: AFP)

The much-publicised 2012 “target” of 10 British track and field medals set by UK Athletics chief executive Niels de Vos 18 months ago was not, apparently, a target at all.

“Ten was never a target, it was a possibility,” said a spokesperson for the governing body after being reminded of the interview De Vos gave to BBC Radio 5 Live in October 2009 when he said: "I'm perfectly happy to put a target out there that's aspirational. We should be aiming to get a better return that we've had in the past.

“I've based it on the number of finalists we've been getting in the past four or five years, which has been going up at each major championship. At the last two major finals, the Worlds and the Olympics, we've had 25 finalists. Can we get to 10 medals? We got six at the Worlds, so there is a way to go, but it's possible."

Head coach Charles van Commenee has taken a more conservative view of Britain’s prospects by setting a target of eight medals in 2012.

“I have said from day one we need eight medals, including at least one gold, because that would be better than before in non-boycotted Games,” said the Dutchman last year. “If it doesn't happen you can wave me goodbye at Heathrow."

Just to complicate the picture, UK Sport, the agency that controls the purse strings of Olympic sport, has decided to hedge its bets by setting a target range of between five and nine medals.

De Vos, it seems, is now happy to accept the judgment of Van Commenee. “Obviously, Charles has the best understanding of exactly where the medals may come from in 2012,” said De Vos.

“Our UK Sport target is five to nine medals so of course I would be extremely happy with eight. That count, including one gold, would be our best ever Olympic count.”